


appreciation for beauty

by tylerrjoseph



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Afterlife, M/M, and this is about the afterlife, death as character, its not rly a big thing abt the major character death bc like one of them is already dead, probs smut later on who knows
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2016-05-20
Packaged: 2018-06-07 08:41:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6797065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tylerrjoseph/pseuds/tylerrjoseph
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>josh is death. tyler is next to die.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> the first chapter seems kinda rushed idk

My past is fuzzy but I think I died during the Antonine Plague in Rome. That was a different life, though. It's irrelevant now. What matters to me now is my death toll.

I'm Death, but probably not as you imagine me. I live among humans. I don't have a sickle and I definitely don't wear a long, black hooded cape. I have my hobbies, I particularly enjoy music and films. There's also many of us. You see, a select amount of people are offered the chance to have a life after death where we can live on earth. We were people who weren't good enough to get into heaven but not bad enough to be condemned to hell.

My next mission was in Columbus, Ohio. A guy called Tyler, a pretty young cashier, quite charitable, scored pretty low on the sin-o-meter. Definitely destined for heaven. Why does he have to die? I don't know, I don't ask.

  
A bell dinged above my head once I pushed through the front door of 'Sal's Music Box' followed by a "I'll be right with you!" coming from almost nowhere it seemed. After a few seconds, a young man came out of a door near the brass instrument section.

You have probably felt fear in your life; when you rode a bike for the first time, your first day at school, maybe you had a nightmare once or twice, but you have never felt what I did when that boy came out through that door. Almost two thousand years doing my job, I've never felt scared or vulnerable. Two thousand years doing my job and I never felt incapable or impotent. I was one of the strongest forces known yet seeing this stranger for half a second almost physically knocked me over.

I know what you're thinking: "Josh, you haven't even spoken to this kid, why are you acting like its the end of the fucking world?" Half a second might as well be an entire lifetime. I'd know your past, present and future intent. Tyler's was pure, probably the purest soul I'd ever found it will ever find. The Other's say that souls like this are the most rare thing to find, some even say they're mythical. They say finding and harvesting souls like this can make you God-like. But I couldn't even think about killing him in that moment. Humanity comes and goes but appreciation for beauty lasts, even after two thousand years.

"Hello?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> filler

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> think of the voices as like leo in charmed when he has to beam up.

Tyler's face had grown a little worried at my original unresponsiveness but beamed the most radiant smile once I mentioned the drum kits. "You must have done your research," he chuckled, turning and heading in one direction, implying I should follow. "We're the only store that does full kits in this little corner of Columbus. Makes it impossible to find an experienced drummer around here to play for you," he chatted.

I'd play any instrument from any far corner of the world for you, I thought to myself, completely mesmerized by the purity just radiating from him.

"Surprised I haven't seen you in here before," he turned to face me once we were in front of the drum kits.

"I'm sorta just passing through. I might be sticking around for a while though," I spoke before I thought. God, if 'They', my bosses, heard me say I'll be sticking around for a while I'd be dead. Well, dead again.

"If you need help breaking into the music scene around here, don't be shy to visit us. We always have advertisements for auditions and competitions," he gestured to a notice board by the door. "Drummers are gold dust," he chuckled.

"Thanks," I chuckled in return. I couldn't remember the last time I had genuine small talk before this. Almost made this normal.

"I'll be around if you need me," he patted my shoulder in a friendly gesture as he walked by and I swore I could feel my non-beating heart beat.

Oh, they'll have to understand, I thought to myself. They must have known Tyler was this magnificent. 'They' must have been testing me. I was no longer a beginner or amateur in my trade and They must have been trying to see if I'm worthy. They have to give me another day or two. If They found out I so easily fell in love with a subject, they would never trust me with another mission again, though. I had to be careful. I had to leave.

I left the store as quickly and quietly as I could, not wanting to feel the mixture of love and fear from seeing him again.

Love? I knew it was possible. I had my brief affairs earlier in my life as death. But they were with others like me or with mortals unrelated to my missions. They were passionate, fun even. This was terrifying.

I was staying at a motel not too far from the store or his flat. I had to stay local. It didn't take long before I was in my room, it didn't take long until the voices started either. I knew they were watching, I knew it was a test.

"Joshua, why haven't you completed your mission?" I heard a soft voice of one of Them say. "We understand Tyler is different from anything you've worked with before but this needs to be done."

"Just give me a little while longer. I can do it," I spoke aloud. God, I hated when They did the telepathic 'voice-in-head' thing.

There was quiet murmuring, almost like a gentle buzzing, for a moment before the soft voice spoke again. "He will be attending a concert for charity tonight at the local recreation hall. It begins in two hours. We hope you are able to do this." And then it was quiet.


End file.
